 Woman receiving acupuncture.
| Time
| 1990s |
| Title
| CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) consumer interest expands |
| Event
| David Eisenberg, a doctor at Harvard Medical School, publishes a historic study on alternative and complementary therapies. He estimates that alternative medicine is a $13 billion out-of-pocket industry in the United States annually. In a 1997 repeat of this study, Eisenberg finds that the amount spent on these therapies rises to approximately $30 billion. |
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Managed care and other health insurance organizations begin offering a greater variety of mental health treatments. These include relaxation seminars and tools, talk therapy, stress reduction and resources.
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Physicians start to ask patients whether they are using therapies like acupuncture, massage, and herbs. Concern rises for how these treatments interact with conventional drugs and therapies.
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Although spirituality is often incorporated into alternative therapies and end-of-life health care plans, the general medical community does not necessarily embrace or reject it as a treatment.
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